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Girl Scouts Take the Lead in a Time of Need

All Girl Scouts make a promise to help people at all times, so it is no surprise that our girls have been sources of joy and generosity when we find ourselves in times of crisis. Across the country, Girl Scouts are fulfilling both their promise and the Girl Scout Law by trying to make the world a better place, even under our current limitations.

In our greater Chicago and northwest Indiana communities, Girl Scouts are stepping up for people who needed it most even while staying safe at home. Whether by donating cookies to medical professionals, sharing cheer with neighbors through art, gathering resources for food pantries, even making their own PSAs, our Girl Scouts are showing themselves to be resilient and experts in spreading kindness.

Read on to learn about some of the ways Girl Scouts are walking the Girl Scout walk, even as we practice social distancing.

Kindness through Cookies

Medical professionals around the world have been working tirelessly on the front lines to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on their communities, and locally, many Girl Scouts have decided to donate some well deserved snacks to them.

Big thanks to Brownie troop 55693 in Naperville for the thoughtful cards and delicious @girlscouts cookies for our Emergency Department staff. Generous gestures like this go a long way. pic.twitter.com/Er8FzowSyc

Girl Scout Ruhi from Troop 55693 (featured in a blog post last week) already wants to help others when she grows up. She also realized she doesn’t have to wait until she grows up to help others, so she gathered up Girl Scout Cookies, and made thank-you cards with her sister Brownies. The much-appreciated donations were delivered by an adult to Rush University Medical Center staff!

Girl Scout Addison from Troop 45135 gathered up 93 boxes of cookies donated by Addison’s gracious customers and had them delivered to St. Alexius Medical Center. She said she was grateful she was able to help, even in this small way, because giving back ties into the service aspect of Girl Scouts! And the staff themselves were incredibly grateful, as they get very few breaks and little time to eat.

Across Service Unit 413, girls created over 100 signs and cards offering words of encouragement and appreciation to all health care workers serving on the front line of this pandemic. Additionally, troops 45621, 40469 and 41346 donated over 100 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to the health care workers. NorthShore University HealthSystem Hospital Emergency Departments located in Skokie, Highland Park, Evanston and Glenbrook were the recipients of the cards, signs and cookies. They all expressed gratitude and were very impressed with the generosity of all the troops!

Staying Connected

Girl Scout Leah P. from Elk Grove Village Troop 45421 got creative when it came to staying connected with her neighborhood: “To keep a sense of community for my friends and neighbors I packaged and delivered over 50 envelopes with Easter coloring sheets and activities to host a virtual coloring contest!”

Another artistic solution to keep in touch with others from a group of super kind Girl Scouts:

Girl Scouts from Troop 35424 in Crown Point, IN worked together virtually over the last two weeks to create a PSA video to generate awareness of the need to support local food pantries during this challenging time. These go-getters are working on their Bronze Award by helping people in their community who may experience job loss or food insecurity, and this was a great way to complete their Award while practicing social distancing.

One more spot of good news!

Right before shelter-in-place started, Girl Scout Troop 55191 from Itasca was recognized by the Elk Grove Character Scout Coalition and the mayor for the work they do in the community!

This group of girls provides a full meal to guests at the PADS homeless shelter every year, and this year they tied it into their New Cuisines badge. They also completed their Bronze Award by providing fresh vegetables and activities for kids in shelters, and along with the broader Itasca community, the troop collected more than 1,000 pounds of Halloween candy to be donated to Packages for Patriots in Elk Grove Village!

Congratulations to this awesome Girl Scout troop!

We are beyond proud of these Girl Scouts, and Girl Scouts across the country, who have donated their time, effort, and kindness to people who need it. They are exemplifying what it means to be a Girl Scout: to be a source of strength and joy, to help others in need, and make the world a better place.